With industrial power demand rising, can small modular reactors help anchor a cleaner, always‑on system that will support the incoming AI Data Centre boom? In this bonus episode of Disruptors, recorded live in Edmonton, host John Stackhouse speaks with Premier Danielle Smith about a practical path: SMRs alongside abated natural gas, hydro, and stronger interties—with Indigenous equity built in from day one. They dig into reliability needs, near‑term “bring‑your‑own‑power” models, how to finance nuclear in an energy‑only market, and what collaboration between provinces could unlock. Recorded live in Edmonton, Alberta, and convened by the SMR Forum in partnership with the Canadian Association of Small Modular Reactors (CASMR). rbc.com/en/thought-leadership/ SMR Forum: https://smr-forum.ca CASMR: https://canada-smr.ca

Canada’s future won’t be decided in PDF strategies — it will be decided by what we actually build: trade corridors, clean power, AI datacentres, agtech and northern connectivity that can stand up in a more volatile world. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse speaks with Daniel Debow, Chair of the Board at Build Canada, and Lucy Hargreaves, the organization’s CEO, about how a new builder mindset is taking shape across the country — and why sovereignty and competitiveness now depend on turning ideas into infrastructure at speed and scale. As global trade routes shift and geopolitical tensions rise, they explore how Canada can capitalize on its advantages — from Arctic gateways and critical minerals to Prairie food corridors and on-farm agtech — while giving the next generation real ways to step into nation-building, in business and in public service. www.buildcanada.com

Energy planners used to talk about a “trilemma”: reliability, affordability and sustainability. As AI reshapes the global economy and data centres demand thousands of megawatts of new load, Alberta is adding a fourth leg to the stool — velocity — turning it into an energy quadlema. At the edge of Wabamun Lake west of Edmonton, the Keephills and Sundance power sites are being reimagined from coal-era workhorses into “AI-ready” power hubs. TransAlta is converting units to natural gas, opening up land for data centres and using existing transmission and cooling infrastructure to shorten the path from project to power. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse speaks with Premier Danielle Smith and John Kousinioris, President & CEO of TransAlta, about how Alberta is experimenting with a new “bring your own power” model for hyperscalers — and how the recent Canada–Alberta energy MOU aims to unlock thousands of megawatts of AI computing capacity. Alberta is positioning itself as a testing ground for how countries can build domestic compute on their own grids — instead of just exporting raw energy — while navigating an energy quadlema of reliability, affordability, sustainability and speed to power.

The world is investing billions in data centres and compute. Canada’s edge isn’t bigger boxes—it’s Trust: rules enforced at home, private information secured under Canadian jurisdiction, and a clear path for enterprise data handling in the age of AI. That’s how “Canadian trust” becomes a competitive advantage. This week on Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse takes us to Waterloo to map how policy as code, Canadian residency, and lineage + audit turn trust into a speed advantage. Guests: Tom Jenkins & Shannon Bell (OpenText), with Janice Stein (Munk School). Build it here—export it with confidence.

As the world electrifies—from cars and buses to datacentres and defence—demand for battery materials is exploding. Today, China refines more than 90% of the world’s graphite into the material used in virtually all EV battery anodes—that level of concentration is a strategic vulnerability Canada, and its allies, can’t ignore. But Canada is starting to respond. The federal Major Projects Office has just referred Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Phase-2 Matawinie Mine as a “Major Project of National Interest”—a move aimed at helping Quebec and Canada shift from exporting ore to building a full mine-to-refine graphite value chain at home, and with it, an entirely new strand of economic and industrial capacity. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, host John Stackhouse takes listeners into that story. With former Quebec premier Jean Charest and Eric Desaulniers, founder & CEO of NMG, he lifts the hood on what it means for a critical-minerals project to be treated as a “major project” in Canada—and what this could mean for Canada’s role as a trusted critical-minerals supplier to its G7 allies.

Across Nunavut’s Kivalliq region, communities and mine sites still rely on imported diesel for electricity and satellite links for basic connectivity. It’s expensive, carbon-intensive, and leaves a strategically vital part of Canada dependent on infrastructure we don’t fully control. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project with John Stackhouse, we travel to Nunavut to explore the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link (KHFL) — a 1,200-kilometre, Inuit-led project that would connect Manitoba’s renewable grid and Canada-based broadband backbone to five Kivalliq communities and future mining projects. Led by Nukik Corporation under 100% Inuit ownership, KHFL is designed to deliver clean power, high-speed terrestrial connectivity, and Nunavut’s first physical infrastructure link to southern Canada. Joining us are Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, who unpack how this corridor could cut diesel use, reduce dependence on satellite networks, strengthen Arctic sovereignty, and create a new model for community-driven infrastructure in the North.

Saskatchewan, long known for feeding the world, is now leading a revolution in ag-tech. With automation, machine learning, and AI-powered quality control, the province is redefining how food moves from field to port. Agriculture is more than Canada’s heritage - it’s our future advantage. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse speaks with Kyle Folk, founder and CEO of Ground Truth Ag, whose technology automates grain grading — a process that once took hours, now done in minutes. He’s joined by Murad Al-Katib, CEO of AGT Food and Ingredients. It’s a story about turning information into prosperity, and about how Saskatchewan’s innovators are helping Canada feed a growing world while building a more resilient, sovereign economy.

At the edge of Hudson Bay, the Port of Churchill is being revitalized — reconnecting the Prairies to global markets and strengthening Canada’s northern gateway to the world. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse speaks with Premier Wab Kinew, Chris Avery of Arctic Gateway Group, and Grant Barkman of Decision Works about how Indigenous ownership, modern rail infrastructure, and drone-powered innovation are reconnecting the Prairies to global markets. As climate shifts open new Arctic passages and global trade routes are redefined, Manitoba is positioning itself as a northern link between the Prairies and the world — redefining how Canada moves goods, builds partnerships, and prepares for the future.

Canada’s prosperity depends on how efficiently it can move goods to market — yet its largest ports have fallen behind the world’s best. With global trade accelerating and supply chains under pressure, Roberts Bank Terminal 2 represents a generational investment in Canada’s competitiveness. In this episode, Peter Xotta, CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Devan Fitch, the project’s Program Director, and Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancouver International Airport, join John Stackhouse to discuss how this long-planned expansion will bring new automation, capacity, and environmental innovation to Canada’s Pacific Gateway. Together, they explore how smart infrastructure and strong partnerships can secure Canada’s trade future — sustainably and sovereignty.

For over two centuries, Atlantic Canada has been the launch point for Canada’s ventures into the unknown — from the Grand Banks to global trade routes. Today, that pioneering spirit is looking skyward. In this episode, Stephen Matier of Maritime Launch Services and Rahul Goel of NordSpace join host John Stackhouse to explore how Canada — the only G7 nation without domestic launch capacity — is closing that gap. Together with Chris Hadfield, they unpack what sovereign access to space means for national security, climate resilience, and technological leadership — and how Nova Scotia and Newfoundland’s emerging space sectors are helping bring Canada into the new space age. Because if Canada can’t launch its own ideas, it can’t lead its own future.

Canada’s future security doesn’t just lie in the skies or across its borders — it lies beneath the waves. Newfoundland and Labrador, long defined by its connection to the North Atlantic, is emerging as the front line in Canada’s underwater defence and surveillance revolution. In this episode, Kraken Robotics’ David Shea reveals how cutting-edge sonar and subsea intelligence are giving Canada new eyes and ears in the ocean depths — technology once reserved for superpowers, now developed and deployed from St. John’s. And General Rick Hillier, former Chief of Defence Staff, joins host John Stackhouse to explore why control of our underwater domain is critical to national sovereignty, Arctic readiness, and alliance security in an age of rising global tension.

For this season of Disruptors, hosted by John Stackhouse, we're crisscrossing the country to showcase their groundbreaking work. Canada stands at a crossroads. Become a leader or continue to ride shotgun. The choice is obvious. But global political and economic uncertainty demands we act decisively. We need to close the productivity gap with our peer nations and build bigger, better and bolder. Visionary leaders across the country are seizing this moment, harnessing technology to take on Canada's most-urgent challenges. For this season of Disruptors, we're crisscrossing the country to showcase their groundbreaking work. From robotics that safeguard Arctic sovereignty and AI that rewrites how we grow food to critical minerals powering the clean transition and housing innovations reshaping our cities. In every sector we explore, technical ingenuity meets national purpose. These are not just stories of invention-they provide a blueprint for a stronger, more competitive Canada.

AI is evolving. Agentic AI systems can now reason, plan, and act independently, taking AI beyond passive tools and into the realm of autonomous decision-makers. Join John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik as they explore what this next generation of AI means for business, featuring insights from Adel El Hallak of NVIDIA and Jacomo Corbo of PhysicsX. They dive into real-world applications, security risks, and how companies can prepare to adopt AI that acts—with purpose.

With a growing global population and climate challenges reshaping food production, Canada has a golden opportunity to lead the ag-tech revolution. But are we ready? In this episode of Disruptors x CDL, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik dive into the future of agriculture with industry experts Evan Fraser (Director, Arrell Food Institute) and Alison Sunstrum (CEO, CNSRV-X Inc.). From AI and robotics to climate-resilient farming, they explore how Canada can harness cutting-edge technology to feed the world. Tune in to learn why the farmer of the future might not be behind the wheel of a tractor—but in a lab, developing the next agricultural breakthrough.

What does it take to power the intelligence economy of the future? In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, hosts John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore Canada’s role in balancing AI’s surging energy demands with sustainable innovation. Featuring Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, and Doug Beach of Eavor Technologies, the conversation highlights bold initiatives like the Wonder Valley project and the potential of advanced geothermal energy. Tune in to discover how Canada is leading the charge in the global data economy.

In this episode of Disruptors x CDL: The Innovation Era, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore how Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries and Canada’s economy. Joined by AI leaders Sheldon Fernandez (Darwin AI), Kory Mathewson (Google DeepMind), and Gillian Hadfield (Schmidt Sciences AI2050 Senior Fellow), they discuss Canada's strengths in AI research, the challenges in adoption, and the creative applications of AI. Tune in to learn how AI can drive innovation and reshape the future.

Recorded live from Creative Destruction Lab’s Super Session with Minister Evan Solomon, Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore how Canada can close its AI Imagination Gap to compete globally. Minister Solomon speaks candidly about the four key pillars of Canada’s AI strategy: scaling champions, adoption, trust, and sovereignty, and offers tangible insights into how SMEs, researchers, and public institutions can all benefit from AI’s abundance, if the right supports are in place. This wide-ranging conversation dives into Canada's AI spine, the importance of protecting national culture through digital sovereignty, and how government, startups, and citizens alike must embrace this pivotal moment with urgency, collaboration, and creativity.

From Arctic sovereignty to wildfire response, Canada’s challenges are increasingly being solved by the low earth orbital satellites less than 1000km from the earth’s surface. In this episode, John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik explore how Canada’s space sector is reshaping defense, communications, and economic opportunity - with guests Mike Greenley (CEO, MDA Space), Dan Goldberg (CEO, Telesat), and planetary scientist Dr. Margarita Marinova.

What does it take to transform a startup into Canada’s second-largest company in just a decade? Sonia Sennik and John Stackhouse discuss his conversation with Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, live from C2 Montreal, as they unpack the entrepreneurial mindset, Shopify’s journey of anti-fragility, and why now is Canada's moment to build global giants.

AI is evolving. Agentic AI systems can now reason, plan, and act independently, taking AI beyond passive tools and into the realm of autonomous decision-makers. Join John Stackhouse and Sonia Sennik as they explore what this next generation of AI means for business, featuring insights from Adel El Hallak of NVIDIA and Jacomo Corbo of PhysicsX. They dive into real-world applications, security risks, and how companies can prepare to adopt AI that acts—with purpose.